


Flower King

by SosearchingRomeo (Breakingthestandards)



Category: Romeo & Juliet - Takarazuka Revue, Romeo And Juliet - All Media Types, Romeo And Juliet - Shakespeare, Romeo et Juliette - Presgurvic
Genre: Benvolio's perspective, F/M, M/M, Mercutio is very gay, Modern AU, Unrequited Love, flower disease, hanahaki, mentioning of Benvolio/Livia Capulet, mentioning of Romeo trying to chat Rosaline up, mentioning of Tybalt/Mercutio
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-23
Updated: 2018-07-11
Packaged: 2019-04-06 22:23:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14066865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Breakingthestandards/pseuds/SosearchingRomeo
Summary: It started with one petal.But now I am choking on an entire rose. If Mercutio doesn't reciprocate my feelings..... I will be done for.- Benvolio Montague





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story starts out as an unrequited Benvolio x Mercutio. 
> 
> The first chapters there's mention of Benvolio Montague x Livia Capulet  
> Romeo Montague x Rosaline Capulet  
> and   
> Tybalt x Mercutio, but these pairings won't last. Because hey, the main pairing is Ben x Merc and I suppose Romeo shall end up with Juliet (it would be rude to keep the two of them seperated, wouldn't it?).

**Flower King**

* * *

 

_Prologue_

It started slowly, with just the one petal getting stuck down my throat. Why I didn’t dare to tell anyone about it, I don’t know. I suppose I thought I had just swallowed one by accident when I had opened my mouth earlier to yell after Romeo. As always he was on the road to getting his fancy self into trouble. _But that’s my cousin for you._

Welcome to my life. My name is Benvolio Montague, Prince of Shadows. _That was just a personal joke of mine_. In contrary to what many people believe of me I am not a minor character, leeching on the story threads of others like a desperate, shiny vampire. Although it sometimes feels that way, when I remember how long I have been chasing Romeo to keep him from doing something foolish – _I don’t always succeed though_.

Many people in Verona know me via Romeo as I am always sticking by his side. It isn’t odd as we’re about the same age and our parents have been friends for a long time, my father being his uncle. But they tend to refer to me as Lord Montague’s nephew, or Romeo’s cousin rather than just Benvolio Montague. _Which I am,_ yet not solely.  For being seen so many times a day wandering the streets people tend to think I am an orphan or something, possibly due to the amount of time the orphaned Capulets roam the city. _I am thinking of Tybalt in particular._ I have, in fact, a mother and a father, both alive and healthy – _thank you very much_. I wish I could say as much about me.

Because when we are wandering about the streets there aren’t just the two of us. We are with three. Romeo’s best friend, Mercutio. _My best friend_. When I look at him parading through the alleyways of Verona I feel my heart skip a beat. Mercutio isn’t the most logical friend for me. He’s outgoing, wild – his bravery often surpasses his wit. While I am tender of nature, more secluded. I like to keep myself to myself and if it hadn’t been for Romeo I would have happily spent my days staring out of the window, practicing my hand at calligraphy or playing unnecessary elaborated games that use a tremendous amount of fantasy. Because I am a dreamer, in a way. And it just so happens to be that Mercutio, despite the façade, is a dreamer just the same.

Let me spare him another thought before I tell you exactly how I am feeling today, because Mercutio’s description isn’t far from done yet. Why we became friends when he is so lively, so spirited, I can hear you ask? It’s because he sought out Romeo when we were younger. The two are always searching for boundaries and how to cross them. Without a guiding hand they'd be in trouble all of the time. Let that guiding hand be me.

Mercutio, being the nephew of Verona’s Prince, comes from a ridiculously wealthy family and has money aplenty - _once he reaches the age of thirty that is._ It’s as simple as that, and it has managed to be a sore spot for him ever since he found out about it. That doesn’t mean he is penniless. He still receives an abundant amount of pocket money and spends most of it on ridiculous blue and purple denim jackets and on the colouring of his hair. It’s fuchsia at the moment – _he had to explain that to me over and over because I kept calling his hair pink_. As you might have guessed, he isn’t your typical manly man either. He knows all about fashion, about actors and models, keeps his own ridiculous Tumblr account and has an Instagram he spams full with selfies. He actually has a lot of followers on it as well. It’s ridiculous.

His free time is spent browsing photos of – as he calls it – pussies, which are actual cat photos that sometimes make me cringe. I am quite certain he suffers from Toxoplasmosis and him teasingly calling Tybalt his famous Prince of Cats – well, I am not quite certain what to make of it.

My feelings for him are, well, complicated. Trust me, I have tried on several occasions to probe his emotional defence and find out who or what he fancied in others. I tried to burst through his carefully crafted shield of the happy-go-lucky boy he pretends to be, never worried nor sad and always with a proper joke on the tip of his tongue. _How I wish to taste that tongue in an unrelenting kiss_. Whenever I tried to get him to admit details about his sexuality he would laugh at me.

For a long time, Mercutio sided with the Capulets. Rosaline in particular. We all knew that he did it on purpose, since Romeo had a crush on her and didn’t know how to get close to her, so Mercutio took the lead and showed him the ropes. He got friends with her in a record time. But then she thought he was trying to make advances on her and admitted she was asexual. Mercutio stuck to the same label for a few months afterwards, claiming to be asexual as well when he clearly couldn’t take his eyes off men and women alike. I teased him about it, but he claimed he was just admiring their sense of fashion. _As if._

But Mercutio was not asexual. And that was when the first petal got stuck down my throat, making me grab my neck in an attempt not to choke. I had never before felt as suffocated as this, not even in a hands-on fight.

It was when I spotted Mercutio in the arms of another.

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

> _Big thank you to the anon who requested hanahaki Benvolio - > Mercutio with lots of angst and pining. I've set to it.  As always you can find me on my tumblr or go there directly via mercutio.nl _
> 
>  
> 
> _also:_
> 
>  
> 
> ####  **QUESTION TO MY FELLOW MERCUTIO LOVERS: Should Benvolio’s disease start at seeing Mercutio with Romeo, with Tybalt, or with someone else of your choosing? Let me know by posting your preference below or by sending it to my ask on tumblr =)**


	2. Chapter 1: At the Cinema

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life seems to go as normal. Benvolio and his friends enjoy an evening out. While Romeo is trying to impress Rosaline, Benvolio is aware that he and Livia are heading towards what could become a pretty good relationship. But there are other Capulets at the cinema they're frequenting.... What could this mean?

**_Chapter one_ **

The night was young, and so Romeo kept reminding me. I was tired, but I agreed to hang out with him anyway. God knew how much trouble he would manage to get himself into if it weren’t for me to keep him out of it.

“Let me call Rosaline,” I said, reaching for my phone, but Romeo placed his hand on top of mine and smiled cheekily.

“No need, I’ve already done that.” I looked up at him quizzically. His dazzling smile did nothing to ease my nerves. Romeo’s dark eyes twinkled. His hair, reminiscent of my own, pale and coiffed to the front, made him stand out among the dirty grey tiles of the street and the walls.

We were stood in front of the small alley next to the cinema. A crowd of youngsters had gathered in front of the cinema’s doors, pushing and pulling and being boisterous for the whole city to hear. This new movie that would be shown for the first time in Verona was said to be the next giant blockbuster. By the looks of the many attendees it was indeed going to be the talk of the town. The fact that the movie was R-rated and starred a few sexy young actresses and a lot of violence might have something to do with it. I wasn’t looking forward to seeing it, but since Romeo had taken it upon him to buy tickets, what choice was I left with?

“You’re still trying her?” I asked, stupefied. “Man, you’ve got to let go. Rosaline isn’t in for your type. She isn’t in for anyone wanting to get their hands on her.”

Instead of looking stumped, Romeo smiled at me unabated, as if my words hadn’t affected him in the slightest. “I asked her to bring Livia.”

That shut me up and I felt my cheeks go red. _Of course, everyone knew_. The moment Mercutio befriended Rosaline to get information out of her, and to get her acquainted with our group so Romeo could woo her, we also got acquainted with Rosaline’s younger sister: Livia. Rosaline was our age, not much difference there, and Livia was only two years younger than her. But we got along instantly.

Livia loved to draw and she was starting to become quite an artist. Naturally Mercutio tried to abuse the girl’s talents by trying to trick her into drawing portraits of him that he could later on post on his Instagram. _So vain._ She sometimes obliged him. But more than often she would draw pictures of the sea instead. She loved nature and her style, although impeccable in every genre, was often used to picture her surroundings rather than the people she met.

 _Oh yes,_ while the two buffoons I called friends struggled to get themselves a date, I had grown closer to Livia Capulet up to the point where every meeting we had could be considered a date. _At least it was thought of that way by all those around us_. If it hadn’t been for the entire Montague-Capulet thing we’d probably be dating out in the open, had our social network profile status updated to ‘in a relationship’ and posted silly videos of our time spent together on Vine. But as it was we didn’t even connect on LinkedIn. _Too risky_. We hardly dared to exchange messages via our phones.

I admit it is all a rather odd circumstance. Capulets and Montagues don’t usually go together that well. Yet Rosaline and Livia seemed more approachable. Perhaps because they weren’t locked away from the Montague part of the city like most of the Capulet girls. They attended a public school, didn’t react to Montagues’ shouts in the streets and in general seemed to be unaffected by the feud that raged between the two families. They almost seemed normal.

The feud. Something to do with wherever the Capulets thought the Montagues were allowed to park their car.

 _Okay,_ that sounds rather whiffy. Let me expand on the origin of this all famous feud. Although history says the Montagues and Capulets have been at war in Verona somewhere in the thirteenth and fourteenth century, that feud ended long ago when one of the Capulets finally got round to marrying a Montague supporter. Details got lost but fact is that both families remained rather neutral as years passed. Although both houses had their criminal outsteps, things never got as heated as when two generations ago the by then prestigious Lady Capulet stumbled upon a problem. Her carriage could not be parked outside of the theatre because a Montague’s coach was already parked there. Needless to say, words were exchanged and the issue got under Lady Capulet’s skin. The situation became bad enough for her to call her strongest men together and order for the Montagues’ vessels to be vandalised. It was the cause of a hostility that had lasted till this very day and affected every new-born Capulet and Montague alike. Small deeds became bigger, retribution became harsher, weapons became more dangerous. _Plus, parking really still was a problem in this city_.

Snapping back to the here and now, I looked up at Romeo’s incriminating smile and wanted to whack him on the head. How could a single expression rouse such feelings inside of a person? I knew what he must be thinking. He wanted a romance so badly that he tried to hook up his friends at any given chance. _As if matching his friends would grand him a match of his own in return, such a dreamer he is_. And by now, everyone sort of expected for me to be the famous saviour to jump the marriage boat and unite the one feuding family with the other. But Romeo never had been a good match-maker. For instance, he never had any luck hooking Mercutio up with boy or girl or cat – _believe me, he has tried even that_. The boy somehow managed to resist their friend’s charms resiliently.

 _Come to think of it_ , “Where’s Mercutio? Won’t he be joining us?” An evening spent without my fuchsia-headed friend was time well-wasted. I looked at Romeo and let out a sigh. My cousin’s eyes slid aside, turning to the concrete pavement beneath our feet, as he lousily plucked at the fabric of his empty trousers’ pocket. Out of the three of us, Romeo never had a dime on his person. I could explain this to you but I already told you that he had bought tickets for all of us. If you’ve been counting correctly you’ll have noticed that’s no longer two or three, but five entrance tickets to a cinema’s premiere.

“He’ll be on his way,” Romeo’s words were like a salve and I sighed in relief. _Thank goodness God invented Mercutio._ Now I wouldn’t have to take care of Romeo on my own. Rosaline would need all the protection she could get and besides, if I wanted to spend some of our time tonight talking and laughing with Livia I really needed Mercutio’s extra pair of hands to keep Romeo restrained in his cinematic seat.

“Hellokidoki,” _speak of the devil_. I saw Romeo look up almost synchronically with me. Our eyes met for a brief moment before they slid to the figure who had joined us. Mercutio was looking fine like always. His lithe body was covered in blue silk and he carried with him a black leather jacket with spikes. Out of the three of us, Mercutio had made it a point to wear a self-printed jacket with the word Montague printed on the back of it, shiny diamonds glued to it and all. He wasn’t even a Montague himself.

He winked at us and I felt my knees go weak. With a quick clearing of my throat I took a step forward and smiled at him. The way he stood at the corner of the alleyway and the street, leaning backwards against the corner of the wall, his leather jacket draped casually over one shoulder, two fingers holding the leather in its place, was making my mouth turn dry. His grin expanded when I approached.

“And a good day to you too, fine gentleman.” I bowed mockingly and he returned the gesture. It was our little greet, mostly because we never got Romeo to steep as low as to join us whenever we greeted each other this way. _The spoil-sport_. “How nice of you to have decided to join us.”

“Aren’t the chicks here yet?” Mercutio asked, decidedly ignoring my teasing and quirking a brow at Romeo instead.

 _There it was,_ that awkward feeling I had felt before. There was something in the way Mercutio’s eyes lay upon Romeo that made my stomach clench. _What was it in his gaze that made me feel so queasy?_ The glint in his beautiful dark orbs was almost akin to malice, but based on what? _Jealousy_? Ever since Romeo seriously tried to get Rosaline to date him, Mercutio’s attitude towards him had turned colder - but only at those moments when Rosaline was mentioned in conversation, never when she was around or not a topic in a discussion.

I studied him; his lips pressed into a thin lipped pout, the crease of his brow, and the little line between his eyes that shaped whenever he was frowning heavily. It was cute, _almost_.

“They should be here any minute,” Romeo said, a charming smile plastered across his face like always. “Here, did you bring any money? I’m afraid I spent all of mine ordering the tickets and I’ve got nothing left to pay for the popcorn to have you guys fed.”

Mercutio playfully quirked a brow. His arms were folded in front of his chest now, jacket crumpled between his elbow and hand. “You realise I’m more a smarties kind of kid?”

“Come on, bro,” Romeo instantly retorted. He had stepped closer and now stood in front of Mercutio, facing him, and hunched slightly forward so that they were about the same size. Their eyes were at the same level, caught in a stare. “Whenever we buy popcorn you eat half of it. Just get your own bag and pay for your own chocolate addiction and we call it a draw.”

Out of all of us, Mercutio definitely ate the most, despite of being the thinnest. So apart from suffering from Toxoplasmosis I also highly suspected him of housing a tapeworm somewhere in there. _It is unfair for anyone to be this lean and slender if all they did was eat all day._

Okay, so perhaps I am exaggerating, because despite eating the most of us Mercutio was also the most active. He was a fanatic when it came to parkour, running across buildings like he had wings. _It’s truly a sight to behold_. Apart from that he is usually very chipper, not to mention hyper 24/7. I suppose to keep his energy levels up he truly need all the sweetness he can get.

I stood next to my cousin, blocking Mercutio in a similar way like he did. “Romeo’s right,” I said, quickly doing some counting inside my head. I still had some coins inside my pocket that I had wanted to save to buy Livia a present. Not for her birthday, but just because it seemed nice. I had seen some appealing designer’s digital drawing pens in the shape of quills in the shop window earlier that day, quirky and exclusive, and figured if I could save another week I might be able to buy one for her. _Not quite an attempt to woo her,_ _right?_ “Besides, he’s already benevolently gifted us the tickets so I suppose if one of us bought the food that would only be fair.”

But it seemed my words were met by deaf ears. Mercutio rolled his eyes to the sky and let out an exaggerated sigh. “Fair? Fair, dear Ben?” His finger tapped against his elbow rapidly while he looked away and shook his head. “The only thing fair here is your hair,” he hesitated and turned towards Romeo “and yours,” he added whilst chewing his lower lip. “So please don’t make me laugh or the clock will strike twelve and my face will forever look this way.” As if to add strength to his words he twisted his lips and rolled his eyes till they were crossed, the gaze ridiculously enough to make Romeo next to me chuckle.

I grinned at Mercutio’s antics, unable to suppress a smile of my own. He was so theatrically gifted that I always wondered why he never had considered joining an acting troupe. _He’d be amazing on stage_. “Better be frozen in a smile than in a chagrined grimace,” I replied. But as soon as I said it, I regretted it.

Mercutio’s eyes twinkled when he looked at me. Then, without a warning, he burst through the wall Romeo and I had created by standing in front of him. He was by now singing on the top of his lungs, a very famous tune that was bound to have many heads turned our way. _What had I done?_

“Let it go, let it go-“

“Did you say Frozen?” Romeo asked me, and I gulped, knowing exactly that Mercutio’s off-tune singing had been _my fault._ I glanced at him from over my shoulder. _Yep, the people in line for the cinema were watching us._ I could only hope the girls would be here soon so we could head inside, or that some kind of miracle would happen to shut our friend up.

“I’m sorry, okay,” I stuttered to Romeo, who looked at me with compassion. “Just, let me make up for it. How about I go and pay for all the snacks and we’ll have no argument about it any longer?” I glanced nervously at Mercutio who, although he gave me a sidelong glance, kept to his song. Clearly he wasn’t in the mood to buy the treats for us. _While he has the most money of us all,_ I thought sourly.

Romeo handed me my ticket without delay, but there was a look of sympathy on his face. _Good_. At least part of him was aware that his brilliant set up was going to cost _me_ a lot of money. Perhaps he will be thinking twice before spending all his dough on silly cinema tickets a next time.

“Popcorn for all of us, salty for Livia and for me, sweet for the others,” he instructed me as I tucked the ticket in my breast pocket. I shrugged, nothing unexpected in his request there.

“Anything else?” I looked up at him, “drinks?”

Romeo seemed to hesitate, a pensive expression in his eyes, but I was too impatient to leave my singing friend to stick around until he had finally thought of an answer. “Never mind, I’ll see what I can carry.”

Romeo nodded. “Meet us in the lobby. We’ll head inside as soon as the girls arrive. It’s not as warm as it used to be.”

I could see how Romeo wrapped his arms around him and suppressed a shiver. His thin shirt clung tightly to his body, accentuating his abs. It was a nice tactic to try and catch Rosaline’s attention, although anyone with brains could tell that it was an action in vain. Rosaline had no interest in him nor in his abs. If he had been reasonable he would have at least taken a coat with him or something to cover himself with once the temperature started to drop – or to cover Rosaline with if he so wanted to woo her, that would have been the gentlemanlike thing to do.

Seeing Romeo with his arms wrapped around himself like a hug made me laugh. “Well, it’s the evening screening. Perhaps you should have put on something warmer. Why didn’t you bring your jacket?”

Romeo laughed softly and imitated the shrug I had done earlier. _I knew exactly why he hadn’t._ _The show off._ With a smile on my face I turned away from him and made my way to the entrance of the towering building. Red swirly neon lights formed the name of the cinema on top of the edge of the rooflet. I had to apologise to pass through the lines that had formed in front, eager youngsters queueing to buy their tickets and looking concerned, wishing the tickets wouldn’t run out before their turn was due. I realised how lucky we were Romeo got ours in advance. _Even if it was a waste of money, technically. Speaking of which…_

My hand dug deep inside my trousers’ pocket. _There it would go_ , my own hard earned money. I didn’t work in a store selling shoes to spend my money on this. _Candy._ To see a movie I really wasn’t interested in.

I passed the doors in a haste, wanting to get away from Mercutio’s public display as fast as possible. One last glance over my shoulder and I could see him circling the lamp post. _Oh My God._ One slender hand was curled tightly around the cold metal of the post. A nicely shaped leg wrapped around it, joining the hand in its caressing of the pole. My cheeks coloured in embarrassment.

Yet deep inside I knew that I actually enjoyed his little show. _Who knew Mercutio was such a nimble pole dancer_?

I quickened my pace, eager to get the image from my mind. But once I was inside the hurry to get away from the embarrassing scene had vanished and with a feeling of self-pity and the heavy weight of remorse inside my gut, I trudged to the counter selling food and drinks.

It took me a moment to realise what I was looking at. Mercutio just does that to you, at least to me. My mind sometimes has to reset after seeing him pull one of his jokes. In front of me were bags filled with popcorn, different cases filled with colourful candies of all shapes and flavours and on the counter I saw a mini fridge which contained a small array of fizzy drinks. I looked up at the cashier only to find her looking at me and I quickly swallowed. My cheeks felt heated, probably flushing as I felt embarrassed. I had been so caught up in my own mind that I hadn’t noticed I was in front of the line. And as is habit when you notice that it is your turn, I parted my lips to order. But my voice was drowned out by the sharp tones of another.

“Come to see the greatest movie of all time, I see?”

My head spun around instantly, knowing that voice and recognising it with dread. My eyes clapped upon the red and purple dressed frame of no one other than Tybalt Capulet. He was standing close to me, closer than I had initially assumed, and was surrounded by three girls. Their hairs blonde, bleached, reminding of my own light curls. Their dresses were mostly red, though one of them had joined the colour with white while the others had stuck to black to compliment the crimson hue. Their hands were plastered on his shoulder, as if they were girls he had picked up outside of some louche club late at night. And that’s a polite way of me trying to say how suspiciously unchaste and immoral the three looked, their hands roaming past Tybalt’s body like he was some kind of God.

It was hard for me to imagine why anyone would like him, let alone adore him. Tybalt was the Capulet’s most risky family member. Being Rosaline’s and Livia’s cousin, I had heard many a tale about him. Of course I knew him from the street, where he was famous for shouting nasty things whenever our paths crossed. Tybalt was easily angered, short-tempered and _always_ armed. That last bit of knowledge made me take an involuntary step sideward, away from him and his supportive girls.

I could feel bile rise in my throat in fear. My eyebrows rose in a look of innocent confusion. It’d be foolish of me to deny how much the man could intimidate me. He was slightly older than us, but had the advantage in height and in his posture. That one year difference felt like many, many more. Probably because he knew how to tower over us with his lean limbs. Even when the actual difference between him and me must be a couple of inches at the most.

In posture, he could be compared to Mercutio the most, being lean and nimble. Though he had a more healthy look about him than Mercutio – whose cheeks were just a tiny bit too hollow and his bones were a bit too visibly poking through.

 _Why compare these two?_ Their physical shapes are quite similar, although Mercutio is almost a head shorter than Tybalt is. But that’s nothing new. Mercutio is the shortest of our crew as well. The shortest and the thinnest. But there must be something more they have in common except their swiftness and their lean limbs.

While Tybalt enjoys coming at us in the streets and any encounter with him always ends up with blows and kicks and a few broken bones, his behaviour towards each of us differs.

From all of the Montagues he seems to despise me the most. I cannot tell why, exactly. But whenever we meet he calls me out on my purity, on my passion for peace. And more than once his aggressiveness led me to bleed, or to limp home with a broken leg or an injured arm.

Then there’s Romeo who he has little regard for. He dislikes Romeo with the same passion he holds for every other Montague he meets. A plain and casual hatred. I wonder if he even knows who Romeo is, if he even knows his name.

But I am aware that he has remembered Mercutio’s. It’s the only other name he uses in our fights. If it isn’t ‘ _Benvolio, I’m gonna kill you’_ , it’s usually, ‘ _Come here, Mercutio, so I can plunge my sword into your heart_ ’. The two usually fight a lot, struggling with their lean limbs in some kind of sensual form of wrestling. But Mercutio always seems to know how to create a distance between them. He does this purposely, for he loves to scold the Capulet. Their insults are often funny to behold and a great entertainment among the youth in Verona. We encourage them to fight. _It’s just that entertaining._

And each and every time Mercutio manages to get away from him, when he shouts filthy nicknames at him from a distance, Tybalt’s rage only increases and he screams so deliciously loud that I suspect everyone in Verona must be able to hear it. I think that is the beauty of it all and that is why Montagues and Capulets alike keep pushing the two together. They rage with such passion and the least amount of broken bones from any of us. Also, the Montagues love their battles best because they leave Tybalt steaming with anger.

No one ever won a battle from Tybalt, expect Mercutio. And Mercutio always got away. Unscathed, mostly.

I trembled, an effect I wish I could conceal, but Tybalt had already noticed. His eyes had narrowed and had slid to my trembling hands. A small smile slipped on his lips, tugging them into a nasty smirk.

“You don’t have to answer. I can imagine how much it must surprise you that someone like me would lower himself to talk to the likes of you.”

Seething with anger, I gritted my teeth. My hands had curled into fists by my side, but I wouldn’t dare to act. Tybalt continued with as much glee as he could possible hold, “Na-ah, I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he chided me, and I forced my hands to relax enough to stretch my fingers. The sight of my fists must be an invitation for him to fight and such an encounter would totally ruin the evening. _Especially as there was no way I would win._

“Now there’s a good boy,” Tybalt cooed. His voice was soft, but it held the sing-song tone you would use when addressing a small child and therefore it was extremely patronising to me.

The girls by his sides laughed at my pitiful defence, which was to do nothing but take the humiliation from the man in front of me.

“I suppose you came here with your little friends? One never catches a Montague dog on their own. Too frightened, methinks. Too eager to stuck their tail behind their legs and run for it. Go on, aren’t you going to run?” He tilted his head and let out a short boisterous laugh. I had to bite my tongue. If Tybalt knew I was here with his cousins, what would he do? _Decapitate me? Hide my body in parts in the canals?_ I dreaded to think about it.

“Oh, you scared puppy. Not even got the guts to bark,” as he said it he advanced on me, but he needn’t have done that. I was already frozen with fright. He cocked his head and his long dark tresses fell down his shoulder. “Not even going to try and woof us away?”

His eyes then slid from mine, breaking the silent threatful stare between us, and towards my mouth. His eyes narrowed once more and I knew he had noticed the way I was gritting my teeth, trying to keep myself from commenting. “You’re showing me such nice teeth, Benvolio, like the good little dog you are. That can mean only one thing. You want my help?”

I knew I would regret it but I couldn’t help but ask, “help with what?”

“With your dentistry of course. A hole between this one,” he had the nerve to reach forth, his fingernail tapping against my canine but still I couldn’t get myself to move or to press my lips shut. He was too fast and too intimidating. Up this close I could smell his Eau de Cologne. It was disgustfully heavy and musky, but despite the pungent intensity of it I could still discern the underlying scent of sweat that was like spices and that was all Tybalt. “And this one,” he finished by tapping a tooth that was several away from the first, all located at the upper row, “would really improve your image. Give you a bit of a rough edge. What do you say, hm?”

The moment his finger left my teeth I snapped my lips shut. Tybalt seemed displeased by my action and grunted. His eyes widened slightly before narrowing again and his lips pressed into a thin displeased line. But then he tilted his head to the side, the muscles of his neck cracking as he relieved tension that must have been build up there, it was a sickening loud sound. His nostrils flared as he took a deep breath, his expression turning more calm now. He must have expected for me to close my lips at some point, right? If I would have been more brave I could even have tried to bite his fingertip off. He must have expected something along those lines from me, right? _Or had I become too predictable? Was he right that I would never fight back?_

Without a warning he leaned into me. His lips close to my ear, I could feel his hot breath upon my skin, sending goose bumps down my entire romp. His whisper was too quiet for the girls by his side to hear, but loud enough to reach me. The message was loud and clear. “You’re too soft,” he breathed. Then before I could react he had leaned back and left me blinking, unable to think of any kind of comeback that would not result into giving him a reason to beat me up. I sincerely hoped that Romeo and Mercutio wouldn’t be walking in while he was stood here, next to me. I dreaded to think of all that could happen if they saw how he intimidated me. _Or what would happen indeed if he saw that we were having a date with his cousins._

“You’d better not be taking the middle seats,” Tybalt’s order had been finished without me even realising it. The girls each held a drink of their own. The one with the white accents carried a large bag of popcorn, assumingly to share. “Or take the seat in front of us,” Tybalt had finished his threats. He tapped two fingers against his temple as a greeting before he turned around. The girls by his side followed him.

They were laughing at my expense.

“Hey, don’t sweat it. If you take a seat in the backrow then you can attack him from the back,” I looked up, speechless, into the handsome face of the cashier. She smiled, shyly, and placed her hands on the plastic surface of the counter in front of her. The long auburn strands of hair swayed slightly as she moved one shoulder forth and looked at me through her long lashes. “I’m sorry, I meant to say, sitting behind them gives you some sort of an advantage, right?”

How much did she know about the wrangle between the Montagues and the Capulets? Was she a Montague supporter I had never heard of? Or could she become one?

I stammered, “right.” It was kind of her to be concerned about me and my fate. It felt like I had found an ally I might need. If Tybalt were to kill me today then at least we’d have one witness speaking up in my favour.

“Your order?” she asked, her voice gentle.

“Ah, right,” I cleared my throat and dug my hand deep inside of my pocket. The notes and coins I lifted out of it looked like many but were all rather small in value. “Popcorn,” I swallowed and tried to clear my throat. The nerves were slowly starting to ebb away, but only because I’d thrown another look over my shoulder and saw no sign of the cursed Capulets. “Two salt, three sweet, all small ones,” I ordered. The cashier smiled at me while she set to work. She was joined by a male colleague who came out of a door behind her. He wore the same green apron and hat like she did, a white blouse underneath, and showed a toothy smile upon seeing me. “Hello, I see Alessia I already helping you?” He inquired curtly.

“Correct,” I said, wondering how red my cheeks must be and how far that shade would stretch. I always turned red whenever I felt ashamed or shy or intimidated. Whatever the reason, Mercutio always loved to remind me at how easily my face would flush. He called me the blushing bride because of it. _God, if only he were here now to save me from my bumbling and clumsy ordering_. _What a fool I must look like after all that Tybalt has said to me._

“Anything else with it, sir?” Alessia asked me kindly. She had put five small boxes of popcorn on the counter and inserted the prices into the cash register. It was one of those fancy old systems were you had to push buttons before the price popped up. Not one of those automatic scans that beeped all the products you sold. “And a bag of smarties,” I added, interrupting her before she could enter the ‘pay’ button and finish my order. She looked up at me through the strands of her hair and smirked. “And some skittles, please.”

I admit, that last order was purely one for my own. I hardly ever ate the sweets but a bit of sinning from time to time wouldn’t harm anyone, would it? I mean, I’d train off the extra weight sooner or later. _Or cycle it all off when I have to hurry to my job or to college, as always,_ a tiny voice in my mind reminded me with a torturous undertone. I needed to stop thinking about school and about my job and I needed to start enjoying this evening. I was too easily distracted by all the negatives that could happen and it made me forget all the good. _This is supposed to be a fun evening out. Don’t let Tybalt get to you. Don’t think about college. Don’t think about having to get up early tomorrow morning to get to your job. Just don’t…think._

And I admit that I didn’t after that point. Seeing the coins left on the counter I did a quick math and decided that along with the food I might as well buy everyone a drink too. Perhaps one of them would find it in their hearts to pay me back at a later date.

After the order for some sprites and coca cola – _why the hell did she give me Pepsi? Romeo might drink that shit but I quickly swapped to a Fanta Lemon instead_ – I tried to gather all the drinks and boxes and bags into my arms but dejectedly had to admit that there was no way without growing an extra pair of arms that I could carry this all on my own into the lobby.

Apparently Alessia saw my distress and quickly jumped to the rescue.

She left her place behind the counter whilst calling over her shoulder. “Björn, would you take over the counter from me? I’ll be helping this costumer.”

When she reached my side I stood with a brow raised in question. I didn’t even need to voice my thought. _Such an unusual name._ As if she could read my mind she answered. “He’s an exchange student from Sweden,” she said, scooping the boxes and the bags in her arms. I have to say that she managed to carry a whole lot more in her arms than I could have managed. She had this very clever technique of stacking the sweets. She definitely had experience with this.

With the bottles of drinks clutched between my arms and my chest I led the way, increasingly aware of the angry stares I received from the other cinema visitors around me. That long queue outside was now slowly dispersing, and everyone who had been waiting outside for a ticket was slowly trickling into the cinema, hungry and thirsty. To see one of the two sellers of food occupied with helping me with this ridiculous large order was clearly frustrating a lot of them, as it meant they would have to wait a little longer before it would be their turn.

With a sigh of relief I spotted my friends the moment we entered the lobby. Mercutio was seated on a pouf, his long legs stretched in front of him, his leather boots resting on top of each other, as he was staring up at Livia, who was apparently telling him some kind of exciting tale. Livia was wearing simple clothes, her dark hair had been bleached and she had added a few strands of red to them. She had told me the bleaching had been done to resemble the Montagues, after her parents had forbidden her to dye her hair blue. I found it a sweet gesture and couldn’t help but smile as our eyes met.

Rosaline stood slightly behind them, her hair still dark but she had joined her sister in getting the red highlights in. She immediately stepped aside to rush over to me the moment she noticed me. I noticed she had a red jacket wrapped around her handbag. _If she got cold she wouldn’t be in need of anyone else’s coat or jacket._ I still didn’t think Romeo had known or had made a lucky guess. I still figured he had not given the idea of sharing his coat or vest with her any thought.

Romeo stood at the side of the group, leaning against a wall with his right foot propped against the plaster, chuckling as he scratched his head awkwardly. _At least he seemed to feel remorse for having sent me out on my own._

“My God, did the fools make you get our food all by yourself?” Rosaline exclaimed before she quickly took some of the bottles from my arms and started to share them around.

“Erm, yes,” I hesitated to look at them. “ _And_ I had to pay for it,” _as if that extra bit of knowledge somehow couldn’t be left out_. There was pity in Rosaline’s eyes, and shame in Romeo’s. Mercutio seemed unperturbed and ran a hand through his fuchsia coloured hair, flicking the long strands to the side.

“And I see you brought us a new friend,” Rosaline nodded her head in Alessia’s direction, who had started to hand out the boxes on her own initiative. She had to get back to the counter so it was only logical for her to finish this task as swiftly as possible. The salty boxes landed in the hands of Mercutio and Romeo.

While Rosaline spoke she took the last few drinks from me, leaving me with my Fanta Lemon. As she handed Romeo his Pepsi their hands touched for a moment and she flinched. Then she quickly retreated to her safe spot behind Mercutio’s back.

Mercutio had been the only one not interested in Alessia’s presence and he had started tasting his popcorn. With a foul expression he stuck out his tongue and made gargling sounds.

“Luckily someone was chivalrous enough to help you,” Rosaline added, throwing a pointed look at Romeo who seemed to shrivel under her gaze.

Alessia had finished handing out the food. The skittles were safely in my own pocket and the bag of smarties was held in Rosaline’s hand. With a small bow of the head and a muttered “enjoy,” she quickly hurried out of the lobby.

“This is salty,” Mercutio complained. Rosaline threw the bag of smarties into his lap, then took the box out of his hand. “Baby,” she muttered while she swapped it with Livia’s.

The latter was staring at me with little expression. It was odd to see Livia look at me that way. Usually there was a hint of softness to her face, a ghost f a smile at the very least. But her face was bereft of emotion and it sent a shiver down my spine. _What had I done wrong?_

“She seemed nice,” but the tone with which she said it was acerbic, bitter.

“Yeah,” _what else was there to say?_ I quickly turned to address all of them. “Listen, I just had a run in with Tybalt. We need to be careful,” I was cut off by Romeo.

“We know, we saw him too.”

For a moment I stood in silence, just blinking at my friend. If they had seen him then I would not need to tell them much more. No doubts his threats on their account would have been just as severe as the ones he had given me, if not worse. “You did?”

“Uh-uh,” Romeo nodded.

“Well?” I asked giddily, too curious to express with words, “What did he say?”

“Nothing much,” Romeo continued as he threw one piece of popcorn into the air to catch it with his mouth. The loud crunching that followed only stretched the answer he was about to give, and I felt my hands tighten around the bottle and the box in my hand. “He didn’t see us,” Romeo finally continued, “We remained outside until he had vanished into the room with his friends.”

I let out a deep sigh of relief. _Thank God Tybalt had not spotted them all together._ Montagues? And his cousins? _Imminent death._ “The girls,” I confirmed with a nod from the head.

“And the boys,” Mercutio piped in. “There are three of them. One has really nice abs.” When I looked at him he was smirking up at me from his slouched position on the pouf. Suddenly he tilted his head to his right shoulder and lowered his gaze. His hand dug into the pocket of his leather jacket to reveal a glistening light-pink phone.

I personally think it’s pink, mind you. But to be fair it’s the cover of the phone, not the phone itself, that has this noticeable colour. Also, to be even more fair, or fairer, the cover is mostly white but it has this glittering hue to it that somehow makes it seem to be a very light and very pale pink colour.

Mercutio informed me it’s a fairy dust phone and the colour is called champagne pink. _Right_.

“Here, _Seeing the screening of the new Peanuts and the Cricket Bitch movie with my crew.”_

I looked at him in surprise, then dove forward to kneel down next to him as to be able to look at the screen of his phone over his shoulder. “Where did you read that?”

“I follow his accounts,” Mercutio admitted with little shame.

“You do what?” At least I wasn’t the only one who asked that question. Rosaline was with me. She stood at the other side of Mercutio and peered over his shoulder as well. We could hear how Livia joined her.

“Calm down, guys, It’s just a bit of fun,” Romeo interjected. He was the only one not bothering to come and take a look. _Which made me highly suspicious_.

“You follow him online too?” I asked. But my friend’s shrug was enough to confirm. “My God, How did I become friends with you two dumbasses?”

“Hey,” Mercutio made it sound like he was offended, but the smile on his face told a tale that was quite the opposite. He held his phone a little higher for us all to see. “I only follow him on twitter and Instagram.”

There was the photo revealing Tybalt and this girls. There appeared to be a fourth girl with him who I had not seen at the counter to buy drinks. And there were indeed three guys standing next to him as well. _Eight Capulets._ I gulped. That number was a bit too high. _We had to be really careful here._

I squinted my eyes to study the pecks of one of the Capulets. His flimsy red see-through sailor shirt revealed a lot of the magnificently trained shape he was in. I groaned and would have brought a hand to my face if it hadn’t been filled with food and drink at the time.

“All right,” Mercutio pondered, “and I might have become friends with him on his social network account.”

The image he held in front of us left no room for doubt. “That’s the most popular social media site to exist,” Livia said, “Everyone has an account on there.”

“But they are friends!” I exclaimed. My cry of indignity was drowned out by Rosaline’s words as she shifted next to me.

“Not everyone,” she huffed, eyes firmly focussed on Romeo. But as she looked at him I knew we were all thinking the same. Rosaline did have an account on there, it’s just that she had Romeo blocked for a while now. _Who would be the first to tell him?_

“Eh, right,” I stammered, then slowly pushed myself up until I stood straight again. “Shall we head inside?” I offered, thinking that it must be the safest. For all we knew one of Tybalt’s friends might decide to pop to the loo before the start of the movie and catch us cluttered together next to the cinema room’s door. _That would be terribly inconvenient._

“While there’s still plenty of choice with the seating arrangements?” Livia piped in. At least she caught my drift. I nodded and she smiled.

“Yeah, probably a good plan,” Romeo conceded. He pushed himself away from the wall he’d been leaning against.

Before they could enter the room I stretched my arms to stop them, drink and popcorn still in hand. “Oh wait,” my box of popcorn ended up in front of Mercutio’s chest, who halted with a giggle. But as a result, everyone held still.

“Let’s not go to the front. Let us sit at the back,” I tried, knowing my voice wavered as I suggested it. I just hoped that no one had caught the slight quiver of fear in there. I didn’t want them to ask what had happened or why I was adamant to sit in the back row.

But luckily, no one asked. And apart from a wondering look from Mercutio, no one seemed to have any second thoughts on my suggestion.

Livia led us towards the back row and I was glad to see that it was dim inside here. I followed her meekly and let my eyes wander the crowd. Luckily this cinema room was large and when I spotted the Capulets I was relieved to see they were too occupied with each other and had not seemed to have noticed our entrance. They were seated in the middle of the room, but a bit more to the front than the back. Those were good seats, I had to admit, but I was glad that we still had the back for ourselves.

As we sat down I looked at either side of me. Livia was on one side, and I expected Rosaline to join me on the other. But somehow our solid seating arrangement had changed and to my side I found the warm body of Mercutio as he laughed at the still empty screen, pointing with a hand full of popcorn before stuffing it in his cheeks. I could see the Capulets in front of us stir at the slightly too loud and very unique sound of Mercutio’s laugh. Vaguely I discerned how Tybalt turned his head and narrowed his eyes. But luckily a line of people stepped in front of us at that precise moment, blocking them from our sight and us from theirs. As the youngsters in front of us discussed their seats, I glanced at my own row. Next to Mercutio I found Rosaline, unfortunately joined by Romeo. _This was not ideal._

I groaned.

_How do we survive the movie like this?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! 7719 words! Why? Anyway, Everything's in there for a reason. Except Alessia. She just appeared. I wonder why she did that.
> 
> Reminder that the main pairing will be Benvolio x Mercutio, although for the first part of the story this will be unrequited/one-sided.


	3. Chapter 2: Going Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their movie arrangement didn't end up to be the failure Benvolio predicted. Or did it?

_**Chapter two** _

“Man, that was wicked,” the movie had ended and Romeo’s tough words were undoubtedly meant to impress Rosaline. She seemed unaffected by his praise though, and winced rather than smiled when he expressed his likening for the movie they had just seen on the screen.

“Yes, a disturbing plot,” Mercutio agreed swiftly, coming to Rosaline’s aid by pressing himself between the two. It was wonderful to see how close an eye he kept on his friends and on Romeo in particular. The end song hadn’t even finished when the latter had tried to approach Rosaline, leaning over her chair to breathe down her neck. She had quickly risen from her seat and they had all followed her on her way out of the room. Of course, her escape had not deterred the love-struck Romeo who had then tried to get to her side and walk next to her. Mercutio had spotted the attempt and had swiftly squeezed himself in between. I have to admit I admire him for that.

As I walked a few paces behind the two with Livia by my side, I could not help but smile. Despite the amount of Capulets somewhere ahead of us in the queue, I felt like we could take on the world. Perhaps we had survived the movie after all.

“Not quite what I meant,” Romeo sputtered, “but….”

“I think it is degrading for girls to be presented like that,” Rosaline said, earning her heavy consenting nodding from Mercutio next to her. At least her brazen opinion had shut Romeo up and I snickered, perhaps a tad too loudly.

Next to me I could feel Livia reach for my arm. She hooked hers with mine and pressed herself closer to me.

“You don’t agree?” Ouch, Rosaline’s punch was directed at Romeo, humiliating the poor boy even further. If he said he did not agree he would be making such a bad impression – not that he hadn’t already.

Once more it was Mercutio who came to a friend’s aid. This time, instead of helping Rosaline, he was saving his Montague friend from losing face. “Hey, can you step aside? I need to pee.” He pretended that he could not pass the two to get to the loo, and by the looks of it Romeo at the very least believed him. He took a step aside, pardoning himself, while Rosaline just rolled her eyes and made a hasty step in our direction. I smiled at Mercutio when he glanced at me from over his shoulder. As if he silently told me that it was up to me to keep the two separated until he had returned.

_I would have loved to, but when nature calls…_

“You know what? I’ll come with you Mercutio. I need to empty my bladder as well,” I could hear myself say the words and I could see the disappointment on Mercutio’s face. If he wanted to play it this way, then he had to sway. I really needed to go. But then I saw it. His eyebrows furrowed and his frown deepened. There was a certain desperation in his eyes and I realised he had not just made up an excuse. He really had to. _Damn, so did I_.

“And here I thought it were always the girls who cluttered together,” Livia said with a barb. She had folded her arms in front of her chest and had let go of my arm. I knew she blamed me for leaving the two of them alone with Romeo. And who would not? Romeo already had that scheming glint in his eyes.

“You’re talking about Mercutio and me,” I retorted, squeezing my own hand in an attempt to keep myself strong and composed. I was in no mood to explain myself. This conversation needed to be over with quickly. “And as far as we all know he’s half a girl himself," I said, pointing to Mercutio ahead of me. "If not three-quarter.”

“Hey!” Mercutio shouted, already rushing towards the door to the men’s room. The girls would have to sort this out on their own.

“Wait up!” I called out, not able to keep things under control for any longer, and I chased after him. Behind me I could hear how Livia made an attempt to sit down on one of the ledges running from the cinema room to the hallway, but Rosaline grabbed her arm and held her wrist tightly in her hand.

“What are you doing?” I heard Livia ask.

Almost instantly I head Rosaline reply, “Well, I need to go as well.” No doubt she did not want to be left alone with Romeo. I’d noticed how he had tried to touch her, placing a hand on her leg not too subtly during the movie. Mercutio and I had _both_ noticed. What are we to do with a friend like Romeo? Once this evening was done with we really needed to teach him some rules about his interaction with girls. Such as respect and personal boundaries. He was as tactless towards women as he was smitten with them. It was painful to watch.

Upon entering the men’s we found that all urinals except one were taken and we awkwardly stood in the back.  “Why don’t you go first,” Mercutio suggested, his voice remarkably gentle. How very gallant of him. I looked at him and saw how calm he appeared to be, his eyes resting on my hands which, as I only noticed now, were trembling. “Yours seems to be more urgent.” 

And right he was. But, here I reminded myself, that these friends are the best. The ones who let you go first in a queue at the urinal. I took the opportunity and gratefully started to empty my bladder when the door opened behind me and in came Tybalt. _Of all people._ He was on his own and looked a bit too smug once he spotted Mercutio. I could see it all happen in the mirror which hung in front of me. _Why did they hang mirrors here anyway? It wasn’t very hygienic_.

Another spot had come free and Mercutio, huffing as if he had not a care in the world, came to fill it. I could see the fuchsia coloured head in the mirror to my left, two men between us. He zipped open his tight jeans and pretended to ignore the Capulet. But he had no such luck. The spot next to him had come empty and as if by purpose, Tybalt came to fill it up. The two stood together, side by side, _in a urinal_. There was no way things were going to end well. And I was right. Things went downhill when their shoulders bumped into each other. Not just a gentle or accidental push, but a forceful and blunt slam from Tybalt’s shoulder into Mercutio’s smaller one.

“Hey, watch it!” Mercutio yelped, his eyes darting at the mirror in front of him to meet Tybalt’s malicious smirk.

“I’m sorry,” the Capulet replied without sounding sincere, “I assumed you would have joined your girlfriends in the ladies.”

 _Girlfriends, huh?_ Inwardly I smirked at Tybalt's almost jealous sounding insult. It was true that Mercutio often hung around with girls. But Tybalt's attempt to either degrade him to a girl, or to someone whoring himself out to girls, was rather pathetic. The girls I knew where all fierce and strong in their own way. Clever as well. No doubt Mercutio wasn't bother by the insult either. Just offended that the Capulet had started to speak to him.

Mercutio growled. “What sick suggestion is this?”

I was done in the meanwhile and tucked myself away. It was awkward on so many levels, but I felt I had to approach them and break them up. Tybalt’s suggestion wasn’t even a bad one. Mercutio would be much safer going to the ladies at this point than staying where he was, next to the enemy with his junk on display.

“Ah, nothing sick,” Tybalt murmured, and the sudden change of his tone made me freeze to the spot. “Just a bit presumptuous of me.” The Capulet’s eyes drifted towards me in the mirror, a silent warning for me not to interfere. And I, indeed, still stood frozen, unable to move. Perhaps I could say something to stop the two? But Tybalt’s eyes had slid down and Mercutio had noticed. The usually unashamed teen now had his cheeks turn red and fumed.

“When I said _watch it,_ I did not mean for you to _perve down there_!” He shouted.

The other men at the urinals now started to interfere and I took my cue. I quickly turned away from them and started to wash my hands. These strangers were standing up for Mercutio, which was a delight to hear. I did catch a small yelp from Mercutio and a lot of cursing from the other men next to him, and within seconds Mercutio had joined me at the basin to wash his hands. He looked displeased and his lips curled downwards as if he smelled something foul.

“Let’s go,” I told him, not wanting to spend a moment longer in the presence of the enemy. We left the toilets just in time for I could see how Tybalt had finished and started to approach us, but we already were making a mad dash for the door. I took my pleasure in throwing said door shut in his face. The muffled curses of the other men scolding Tybalt for his inappropriate behaviour made their way through the solid wall and with a smile I turned towards Mercutio. _That problem had been taken care of_.

My friend was looking at me with wide eyes.

“He grabbed me!” He said, louder than would have been appropriate. And as if to accentuate his point he grabbed both of my upper arms in the process. “He grabbed me!” he repeated.

“Yes, yes, I heard you the first time. Now let’s get out of here,” I urged him. Tybalt could emerge from the toilet any minute now. Luckily, Mercutio’s grip slackened and I could shake his hands off. I took him by the wrist and started to pull him away from the danger zone. In the corner to our right I could see Tybalt’s entourage. They had spotted us and were clearly contemplating what to do. But I wasn’t willing to wait to see what their next step would be.

“Come on, princess,” I dragged Mercutio around the corner and to my relief we walked into the others. Livia and Rosaline stood waiting in front of a giant movie poster for _Grease_. Upon seeing us they frowned, noticing something was amiss. Romeo was in front of them in the middle of the hallway and looked sheepishly at us. _Whatever was going on in that mind of his?_

“What’s wrong?” Rosaline asked, always the sensible one.

“No time to explain,” I started while I handed Mercutio to her. “But Tybalt _manhandled_ him.” I wasted no time and started our retreat. I took Livia by the arm and tugged her along while I reached for Romeo with my other hand. Rosaline was already dragging Mercutio who, thank god, did not object to the treatment.

“Manhandled?” Rosaline cried in disbelief as we made our way back to the entrance of the building.

“I can’t tell you how literally correct that term applies to the situation,” the victim, Mercutio, replied with a lopsided smirk while she dragged him along. “But he has pleasantly big hands.”

The girls and Romeo ‘ewed’ and I knew exactly how they felt. _Big hands?_ Had Tybalt seriously gone as far as to grope my friend? Swallowing bile, I was only too happy once the doors came in view and I knew that fresh night’s air was waiting for us outside.

The sky was dark when we emerged from the cinema. Many small stars twinkled high above our heads. It was a clear night. Cold but not unpleasant. The chilly air cleared my mind and for a moment I closed my eyes and enjoyed the fresh air. Goose bumps formed on my skin and I relinquished the feeling. It made me feel so very alive.

Then reality hit and I could hear Rosaline’s voice, urging us to head home. She was right, there was no time to stand still. Livia led me into one of the alleyways were we waited for the others to have caught up with us. Once they had, Rosaline turned to peer around the corner to look back at the cinema. But she then quickly spun around to face us and pressed her back flat against the wall. “They’re coming,” she said, her breath rapid and her eyes large with fear. In the darkness of the night I could see the whites of her eyes clearly. She was scared.

“Did they see us?” Livia asked worriedly.

“They must have walked past us on their way out of the cinema room,” I reasoned, feeling how Livia’s hand was warm upon me, her fingers curling tightly around my arm. I could hear Mercutio’s swallow breaths. He was a couple of feet away from me and tried to inconspicuously peer around the corner to see the Capulets too. “Chances are high.”

A loud uncharitable curse escaped Rosaline’s lips and she kicked her foot against the wall behind her. Her hands had formed into fists which she brought up to her head as she groaned angrily. Romeo made an attempt to step closer to her but she held out a hand to signal him off. He luckily obeyed and stopped in his tracks.

“This might be over,” she said, her voice bitter and her eyes directed at me rather than at any of the others. “If they know, they will put a stop to these escapades. We can’t be friends with Montagues.”

“No,” the word had escaped her without a thought but Livia, realising her voice had been a tad too loud, quickly reduced her volume to a whisper. “No, we can’t have that.” I could feel the way she was pulling at my arm, desperate to hold me close, unwilling to yield to fate. “Don’t say that, sister. They might not have seen us, in which case we are in the clear.”

“Well, they will see you if we keep dawdling here for much longer,” it was Mercutio’s voice which broke the conversation and we all turned to look at him. He stood with his eyes focused on the cinema, just a street away, peering around the corner. “They are breaking up, but I doubt they have forgotten about us,” he added.

His alarming news had us all on edge again. “You mean, breaking up as in.... forming search parties?”

“Several,” Mercutio replied with a click of his tongue. His eyes were glued to the Capulets, a sight we could not see.

“If they split up to find us,” Romeo worriedly said while running a hand through his hair, “and they do, we’ll be in big trouble.”

“They will spot us as a group,” Rosaline said. “I think it would be best if we split up as well. Livia,” she turned to her sister who reluctantly let go of my arm. “You’re with me.”

“Yes,” I added, my mind racing. “That is for the best. If you two are found together and they haven’t seen you with us tonight, then you might be able to talk your way out of it. Now go!”

I hardly needed to say it twice. Rosaline instantly dashed further into the alley, but Livia spun around on her heels to throw her arms around my neck, pulling me into a tight embrace. In it, I could feel the fear, the love, the passion, and I closed my eyes and returned the hug with as much love as I could muster. I wanted her to know in that moment that she would be safe. I wanted to give her courage and warmth and everything she might need from the embrace to strengthen herself for whatever was to come. And when we parted I could see her look up at me in the dimness of the night. The whites of her eyes shimmering and her teeth glinting as she smiled at me.

“See you soon,” she whispered.

“See you soon,” I whispered in reply.

And then she was gone.

“All right, the girls are heading south, which means we can’t take the Canopy road, which means we either need to take the Drury lane or the one past Old Mister Giovanni’s home.” Only Mercutio could come up with a tactic and use descriptions like that. “I opt for Drury lane. They have some neat looking bathing suits on display.”

As he said it he turned to me, looking for leadership. I knew both routes he described and with a small smile shook my head. “This is the plan, all right? We stick together. All three of us. No breaking up unless we really must.” I turned to Mercutio and raised a finger. “And we don’t go past Drury lane, we go via the old train station.” He huffed in protest but followed my lead anyway.

Romeo was next to my side while we made our way out of the alley. Rosaline and Livia must have gone right at the next junction but we had to go left. Behind us we could hear sounds. Some of the Capulets had followed us. _No wonder._ They might be mean but they were not stupid. Of course they knew which roads we could take home. In the end, what chance did we stand? They knew we were likely to head to our homes. They knew where we lived. They could even take a different route than us and wait for us at our houses.

Like thieves in the darkness of the night we silently made our way across Verona. We used the alleys as our cover, obscure roads as our cloaks, silence as our companion. But the voices behind us had died down and we became braver, thinking we were all alone, and started to share jokes that became louder and louder.

Then came the point were we parted.

“You sure we don’t need to walk you home?” I asked Mercutio, whose house was only a block away now. We still had to walk for another five minutes or so.

“Naah, I think I can handle it,” he said with a smile.

Behind him the sound of a trashcan wobbling broke the silence of the night. I looked over his shoulder but saw a cat run away.

“Thank you, handsome gentlemen,” Mercutio continued, capturing my attention fully, “for escorting me home.” As he said it, he jumped towards me and flung his arms around my neck. The hug he gave me was similar to the one I had received from Livia, one with passion, and I took pleasure in hugging him back. He had jumped up into my arms and I was laughing when I had to place him back on his feet. “Good thing you’re such a light weight.” I joked.

He winked at me then turned to face my cousin. “And thank you too, Prince Montague.” Mercutio stood tiptoed to place a kiss on Romeo’s cheek and I felt mine go red at the sight.

“Seriously, why did he deserve the title of prince?” I asked, when in all honesty the question I wanted to pose was “Why did he get the kiss?” I wasn’t jealous. Not really. Just a _little_. Just _a little much._

Mercutio chuckled. “Because you’re both princes,” he clapped his hands together joyfully, “you’re both _Charming_.”

I had to think on that for a while, which was time enough for my friend to give me quick pat on my shoulder before he darted off into the street leading him home. “See you, my men!” he shouted. The light from the street lamps reflected on his black leather coat, illuminating the name of Montague. And with a giggle he was gone.

I turned to face my cousin and we both smiled at each other.

“He is so weird,” Romeo said with a chuckle. I could hear the affection in his voice.

“Yes, but that’s why we like him,” I reminded him, and I could see I was right. Mercutio was dear to us both, a friend we did not want to live without.

“Shall we?” It was Romeo who now led the way. With a smile on our faces we walked down the street, seeing the long bricked road in front of us, the tiles shimmering underneath the dim light of the street lamps. There was a comfortable silence that hung between us as we walked. It was only broken when my cousin hummed.

“After seeing _Peanuts and the Cricket Bitch_ , I would really like to see the prequel _A Midsummer’s Night’s Bitch_.”

I nearly choked. “Really?” That sounded like crap. “I don’t think that would charm Rosaline much.”

Here, Romeo halted to look at me with a smile and punched my shoulder playfully. “Hey, you’re lucky,” he said, “You have Livia eating out of your hand.” The visual image that was stirred did nothing to soothe me and I realised I was scrunching my nose. Romeo laughed at my discomfort.

I frowned. “Isn’t it rather the reverse? Mercutio keeps reminding me how Livia can play me. According to him I am _easily_ influenced,” and as I said these words I realised that this was the truth. I was comfortable around Livia, but I often bit my tongue and did what she asked me to do. For one it was clear that I wasn’t the one dominating our relationship. If Romeo thought she would do anything for me than he was wrong. I, on the other hand, would sacrifice a kidney to save her. Truth to be told, I would probably be prepared to do anything in my power to help her. _Hold it_. That thought scared me. Would I really give my life for that girl? “I do things because she says I need to do them,” I continued, turning to my cousin with probably wide frightened eyes, “Does she play me like a puppet? Have you noticed?” Not that I minded it if she did.

Romeo just smiled sheepishly at me and rubbed his hands together. I was reminded of the fact that he had forgotten to bring his jacket along and I shook my head whilst grinning.

Of course Romeo hadn’t noticed. I rolled my eyes to the sky and let out a loud sigh. We were nearing Romeo’s home now. Already I could see the vague contours lit by the many lights surrounding the windows and decorating the outline of the roof. Romeo probably envied me because I had managed to steal a girl’s heart, whereas _he_ was still trying. Attempt after painful attempt, he never seemed to have much luck. Then again, I kept pointing out those little things he could change about himself to be more pleasing to the girls. Not that he ever listened to my wise advice.

“Hey,” I started, with the intention of asking him what he’d be doing today. It was already past midnight by now, so the term tomorrow wasn’t quite right to use by now, not in my opinion. I raised my mobile phone, having just checked the time. The digital numbers were still flashing on the otherwise black screen when an eerie feeling took hold of me. It was like ice shards had formed in my guts and I doubled over.

“What’s wrong?” Romeo was instantly by my side and gently pried the phone out of my fingers to tug it in one of his jean pockets. _Always the tactful and considerate man_ , I scoffed mentally. Only after he had made sure my phone was safe did he actually start to support me by wrapping an arm around my waist and hoisting me up. “It can’t be the drinks,” he helpfully added. If sprites did this to mankind, it would have been all over the news. _Of course it wasn’t the drinks_.

“I don’t know,” I answered truthfully while I felt the cold feeling ebb away. The pain had been instant, but luckily the duration had been short. There was only an awkward churning inside of me now. It was a feeling akin to fear. _Irrational but deep fear_. My eyes flew up to Romeo who was smiling back at me. Then they wandered to peer over his shoulder, at the alley behind us.

No one had followed.

“I suddenly have a bad feeling about this night.”

“You think it’s because of the girls?” Romeo asked, but I shook him aside.

“Not particularly, no.” Why weren’t there Capulets waiting for us? Had they been too tired and gone home? Or had they wanted to give us a brief respite from their usual beating? That did not sound like a Capulet thing to do. We couldn’t have gone off the hook. “I don’t think they are in danger.”

Romeo’s thoughts finally caught up with mine as his eyes travelled to the empty alley behind us. “Then… Mercutio?” He hesitated, but his words were my thoughts.

“No,” I quickly said, shaking my head, “it’s probably just stupid.” Mercutio had been nearly home when we dropped him off. That corner had been his last obstacle. But we hadn’t seen his house, had we? What if they had been waiting in front of his door? His uncle owned a house with a driveway. They could have been hiding underneath the carport, jumping him in the dark when he brought out his keys to enter his home.

But Romeo pulled at my arm and despite feeling the chilliness of the night, he started to tug me away from his house and back into the direction of Mercutio’s. “No way, man. If it means you can’t sleep… We can head back, it’s not a big deal.”

I knew it was not a big deal, but it felt silly. Why should a feeling be taken serious? Why – my thoughts interrupted themselves with more scenarios of doom. Now that I had started to think about the things that could have gone wrong, I imagined them getting worse and worse. The ominous feeling became heavier, harder to deny, and I allowed Romeo to drag me along.

We traced our way back to Mercutio’s, but this time we did round the corner. The street we entered was eerily quiet. Tall houses stood at either side. This was one of the nicer parts of the city where those who had more to spend lived, as was obvious by the large houses looming over us in the dark. As we made our way towards Mercutio’s, a three storeys high building, I could feel and hear little stones of asphalt scrunch beneath my feet. The feeling that something was off deepened. It became harder to breathe. The silence was deafening as we approached.

Romeo’s arm shot out and I bumped against it, finding my footing with a silent curse. And then I heard it. Soft grunts. Mingled breathing. Someone was outside with us, and that someone was not alone.

I could feel my cousin’s hands grab my arm now, pulling me away from Mercutio’s home, but just by a few steps. I pushed back against him, bringing him to a stop.

And there he was. Mercutio. Pressed against the wall.

A hideous sight in the dim light of the night. A figure was leaning over him, shushing him. But even in the dark I could recognise the tall posture of Tybalt. And even in the silence of the night I could recognise his voice when he grunted.

“We need to save him,” I urged. My whisper came out harsh, panicking. I suppose we were in luck that the figures underneath the carport of Mercutio’s house had not heard it.

But Romeo held me back. I looked at him from over my shoulder, accusingly, and wanted to ask why he delayed our rescue.

“I don’t think he needs our saving.”

The words sounded foreign to me and I could not understand them. But when I followed Romeo’s gaze back to Mercutio I could suddenly see. It took me a moment to let the realisation set in.

Mercutio’s arms were trapped next to his head. Tybalt’s hands were curled around his wrists, keeping them locked. Their lips were engaged in a battle, as were their tongues.

And then my eyes slid _lower_.

_Speechless._

Mercutio had surrendered to him. The Capulet.

My throat had turned dry as I watched the two. My breath came out, shaking.

What was there for me to do? If we approached them, would Tybalt take out his blade and hurt Mercutio? Would he try to kill us for walking in on them? And if we left them like this, would Mercutio come out unscathed? _Well, more or less unscathed._ It was obvious that he had given some part of his dignity away. But then Mercutio’s soft moan reached my ears and I turned away, wincing.

“Yes, let us go,” I whispered to my cousin, and then _I_ took the lead.

Our journey to Romeo’s, the same route we had walked only minutes ago, was one done in silent grieving. At least on my behalf. Romeo was uncharacteristically quiet as well and when I glanced at him sideways it appeared as if he was thinking about something. That too seemed to be unlike him.

“I am sure we did right,” I could not believe I heard myself say that. “If we would have interfered…”

“Yes,” Romeo cut me short, but I could hear that he forced himself to sound chipper when he actually was not, “Mercutio seemed to have it all under control.”

“Yes.”

Luckily our awkward silence came to an end when we reached Romeo’s house and I led him to the door. I wasn’t taking any more risks this night. Suppose one of Tybalt’s fancy big men jumped out of the trash bin and grabbed my cousin. _Not going to happen_.

“So, this is where we part,” I clumsily said, but there was so much more I wanted to say and found I could not.

Romeo smiled at me. “Quite a night, right?”

“Yes,” I agreed lamely, “quite a night….” And one that I desperately wanted to forget. Eager to get to my own bed, I took a step forward and hugged Romeo tightly to me. He had already unlocked the door and was already half-inside, standing with one leg over the threshold. “See you tomorrow.”

He chuckled and returned the hug. “Take care, okay?” His voice was gentle and I could feel him run his hand down my back like a silent encouragement. It was his way of saying that I needed to watch out. I was almost home, but not entirely, and he was clearly worried about me.

“I will,” I said with a smile while I took a step back from him. “Don’t you worry.”

With a false smile still on my face I turned on my heels and made the first steps away from his house. The uncanny coldness inside of my stomach was still there, but it had not worsened and as I walked I pressed a hand to my abdomen and took a deep breath, willing the nauseating feeling to go away. I was only several feet away from Romeo when I felt it. The worst feeling of all; that of something blocking your windpipe, disabling you the chance to breathe.

I reached for my throat and started to cough. Something was stuck, which was odd. I hadn’t eaten since we’d seen the movie. Had there perhaps been a bit of popcorn stuck between my gums? It could not be a skittle – those things dispersed on their own… eventually. Besides, whatever was stuck was not smooth or wet, but felt dry and hard.

“Ben, are you all right?” Romeo came rushing to my side but I waved him away with my hand.

“Go back,” I managed to say between coughs and chokes. “I’m fine, just,” and like that it came out. I coughed it right into my hand. But in the dark I could not see what I was holding. Like a reflex my hand curled round the obstruction and as I caught my breath I looked up to see Romeo at an arm’s length away from me, hesitating.

“Go back inside the house,” I said, this time in a normal voice. Romeo let out a sigh of relief. “Must have been popcorn.”

He seemed to obey and turned away from me. “Now I remember why you prefer to eat skittles,” I could hear him smile. “Be careful though, I have warned you.”

Knowing he could not see it, I stuck out my tongue at his retreating back before I called out “I will” and then turned around to finally finish my way home.

My fist loosened. Whatever had been stuck in my throat now dwindled out of my hand and onto the cold road below. 

_In hindsight, I suppose that was the first petal._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AU: just reminding you that this will be Bencutio later on. Most votes were on Tybalt being the one seen making out with Merc by Benvolio. Thank you for your input. Some more angst will follow, as well as some more unrequited feelings and struggles with feelings. Till next time.


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